The Lost Songbird in the Golden Summertime
by darkangel9314
Summary: When Elena found out that she had Leukemia the last thing she ever thought would happen was that she would find out she was adopted. Now in a race against time to save her life Elena embarks on a journey with her boyfriend Damon Salvatore to find her birth mother before it's too late.
1. Chapter 1

The Lost Songbird in the Golden Summertime

Chapter 1

Elena Gilbert sat down in the waiting room holding onto Damon Salvatore's hand. It had been a week since Damon and Her had donated blood and about twenty four hours since they had called her back saying that they had to talk to her about something that concerned her health.

Elena had never really had an issue with her health, but ever since two months ago she had some cause for concern. She felt tired all the time and she would get frequent nose bleeds for the past two months. Something was wrong with her, but she had been too stubborn to go to the doctor back then. She just hoped that whatever was wrong with her they could easily fix. Graduation was two days away and Elena didn't want anything to stand in the way of that.

"Elena Gilbert." The nurse called.

Elena and Damon followed her into the doctor's office where she told them that the doctor would be right with them. When the doctor arrived it Elena became more nervous. She had never not been able to read people, but with this doctor his face showed nothing.

"What's wrong with me doctor?" she said.

She couldn't help it. She was scared.

"There's no easy way to tell you this Elena, but we ran your blood for abnormalities and came up with one too many abnormalities."

"What does that mean?"

"Well we ran a few other tests and your test results showed up positive for Leukemia."

"I'm sorry. Are you saying I have cancer?"

"I'm sad to say that yes you do."

"Oh my God. What-What can we do?"

"Your best bet would be a bone marrow transplant along with a blood transfusion and chemotherapy afterwards."

"Okay. How-How do we proceed with this?"

"Well We'll get your family members here and we'll see if any of them are a match. If none of them are we'll go through other family members or we'll go through the donor database ."

"Let me call them."

Elena pulled out her cellphone and called her mother.

"Hello?"

"Mom it's me Elena. I'm at the doctor's and it's not good news."

"What's a matter baby?"

"It's Leukemia mom. The doctors want to test all the family to see if we have any potential donors. He says my best chances are to get someone who has the same bloodtype as me which would be biological family members."

"Elena-"

"Please mom. I know you might be at work, but I really need you."

"Elena your father and I aren't your best chance."

"What do you mean?"

"Elena. I don't want to tell you this over the phone."

"Mom is somethings wrong you can tell me. Please."

"Elena. You're not my biological child."

"What?"

"Elena, you were adopted."


	2. Chapter 2

The Lost Songbird in the Golden Summertime

Chapter 2

Elena slammed the door as hard as she could as she walked to the living room where she knew her parents were going to be. She hated that she had to find out that she was adopted this way. How dare they keep something so important from her for all these years. It was even worse that she had cancer and her only hope for survival was a blood relative. She didn't even know where to start looking for her actual blood relatives, but she was determined to figure out.

Her mother and father sat there as if they expected her to throw a full on bitch fit at them. Damon was behind her and grabbed her hand for support. She was glad that he hadn't ran away screaming after he found out about her cancer and her adoption. She squeezed his hand and looked at the liars she thought were her true parents for all these years. She had to do this it was the only way.

"Go ahead. Explain yourself." she said crossing her arms

"Elena, I'm so sorry."

"I don't want your apologies I want answers. Now."

Her mother exhaled and continued.

"I was devastated when I found out I couldn't have kids. A girl showed up to your dads medical office and she was in labor. He helped her deliver you and he took you to get examined, but when he came back the girl was gone. He didn't want you to go into foster care so he filed paper work so that he could adopt you, but Elena no matter who your biological mother is, I've always thought of you as my daughter."

Elena adverted her eyes turning away.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"You look a lot like us that I though it wouldn't be brought up."

"A lot of good that does mom. I'm dying and you can't do anything to fix it. Only she can."

Elena turned to Damon and gave him a quick kiss.

"Can I stay at your house? I don't feel like being with these liars."

"Elena-" her mother said.

But before she could get the full message out, Elena was out of the door. She couldn'[t be in this house anymore. She couldn't be around them anymore. If they couldn't help her find her birth mother than she would do it herself. She had to or else she didn't know how long it would be before she was a shallow grave twenty feet under.


	3. Chapter 3

The Lost Songbird in the Golden Summertime

Chapter 3

Elena looked at herself in the mirror seeing a totally different person then she had for all these years. It was different back then because she thought she knew who she was. She thought she was Elena Gilbert daughter to Miranda and Grayson Gilbert, but today she was Elena Gilbert the girl who was adopted and her parents were not known. She sighed and got in the shower. She was now in the comfort of Damon's house. She might not know who her family was, but at least through all of this Damon stayed the same.

How could her family possibly do this to her? She understood why they wouldn't tell her when she was a child, but she was no longer a child and her life was now in danger. She had no idea how to save her life if she didn't even know where to start. Stupid closed adoption. Elena sighed and turned off the shower stepping out to look hard at her reflection once more. She looked exactly like her adoptive parents. It was hard to believe that she wasn't there's, but DNA doesn't lie even if her parents did.

She exhaled as she grabbed the hair brush to comb out her tangles. She examined her long brown hair and wondered who she got it from. She shrugged and got dressed. Damon would be waiting to take her out to dinner and they would be discussing what they would be doing next after graduation. She thought she had a good plan she just needed Damon to give her the okay. She just hoped she wouldn't have to take this journey alone.

After she finished getting ready, Elena went downstairs where he was talking with his younger brother Stefan. The brothers were the best of friends and Elena was glad that Stefan was in Damon's life. In case anything happened to her, she knew Stefan would be there to get Damon through. That was also something Elena had to discuss with Damon, but for right now finding her biological family was her top priority.

Damon smiled at her and she took his hand. It was finally time to discuss this with him. It took a while to get to the restraunt but when they were there she wasted no time.

"I want to find my birth parents."

Damon looked up at her.

"Is this something you really want to do? It might be diffucult for you to do seein as you've just been diagnosed."

"My diagnoses is the reason why i'm doing this. If i'm going to die I want to meet them at least once."

Damon took her hand and squeezed.

"In that case i'm with you every step of the way."

Elena smiled and kissed Damon.

"Thank you."


	4. Chapter 4

The Lost Songbird in the Golden Summertime

Chapter 4

Ever since Elena had found out she was sick and that she wasn't really hr parents daughter, she had been begging for one normal day. It was all that she wanted and all that she asked for. Now was not the time to be concentrating on her illness. She had started chemotherapy and radiation this week and her parents and Damon had been there with her every step of the way. She knew it would only get worse with time, but until now she would be a solider and she would try her hardest to find her birth parents. It was the only thing keeping her distracted at the moment.

But today was not the day she wanted to concentrate on either of those things. Today was the day that she would forever remember as her high school graduation and with the cancer looming around her she couldn't help but think that this would probably be the only graduation she would ever get. So she would enjoy this moment no matter what and nothing in the world could take it away from her. This was her moment and she was going to shine.

Looking in the full length mirror, she smiled as she looked at herself in her cap and gown. No matter what else happened to her, she was going to get through today. She had to.

A knock sounded on the door and Elena turned around looking at Damon as she did. She had to admit he was a beautiful sight to look at, she was a bit confused as to why he was in her room instead of one of her parents. As if reading her mind Damon answered her question.

"They're in the car waiting for us. They thought it would be better for me to come up and get you to avoid any complications. I know it's hard to hear Elena but they're trying to make the best of this situation."

Elena scoffed. "This situation could have been avoided if they just had told me the truth, but that doesn't mean I still don't love them. I just want to know something about the people who gave me up. It's the one thing I want and the one thing I can';t have, because they won't tell me anything."

"Maybe they don't know anything themselves. Maybe it was a closed adoption."

"Why are you taking their side in this?"

"I'm not taking anyone's side Elena. I'm just saying maybe there's more you need to know before making judgments. Just talk to your parents and I'm sure you'll make it through this. You just have to believe."

Elena sighed taking Damon's hand and giving him a smile.

"Let's not focus on that right now. We're graduating. This is once in a life time opportunity. Now let's go enjoy it."

Damon smiled squeezing her hand as they left for their graduation.

Elena smiled as she stood in the line to get her diploma. This was her moment and when her hands finally touched that piece of paper that contained her accomplishments. Finally she was a high school graduate and no one could take that away from her. She smiled as she sat down besides Damon and squeezed his hand. They had finally done it. They had finally made it.

When it was all over, Elena took Damon's hand and walked towards her parents. She had to talk to them. It was hard to be mad at them all of the time and she was tired of being mad all of the time. She needed answers and she needed them yesterday.

"Mom, Can I talk to you?"

Damon and her dad nodded leaving Elena and her mom alone to talk.

"Listen, I know this is hard for you to understand, but it was only a few weeks ago that I found out I was adopted. It was only a few weeks ago that I found out that I found out that I had cancer. It was only a few weeks ago that my life changed for the worst,m because my family isn't my biological family and the one thing that can save me is my biological mother or father. I just need to know if they can. I need to know if I have any chance of a normal life. Please mom, please understand."

Her mother nodded sighing.

"I don't know who she is or why she did what she did what she did Elena, but I do know that if I can't convince you otherwise I can at least tell you where to start looking."

"Where?"

"Start in Chicago. That's where we adopted you from. Maybe she's still there. Maybe there's still a chance you can find her."

Elena nodded and hugged her mother. She didn't know what this journey would bring, but she did know that whatever the outcome she would get the truth no matter what she had to do to obtain it.


	5. Chapter 5

The Lost Songbird in the Golden Summertime

Chapter 5

Elena had wished she could just go ahead and jump on a plane to Chicago straight away, but unfortunately for her getting to Chicago wouldn't be as easy as she once had originally thought. There were three major problems that stood in her way as she flipped them over in her head thinking of every possible outcome and a lot of the time it was one that she didn't like.

The first dilemma was money. She didn't really have much of it and she was in no condition to ask the people who claimed were here parents for any of it .She could have got a job during the summer and picked it up when she had enough, but that would mean being one hundred percent healthy to do so and chemo would be taking most of her time as is. Not to mention those treatments weren't cheap either. She had no clue how she would ever get enough in time for her to survive.

The second dilemma was that if she somehow got to go to Chicago in the first place she had no idea where to start. Her adoptive mother had told her at the place where she was adopted, but who knew if they would be able to give her any information what so ever. Sure she could have just called them but there was something about it that just seemed too impersonal. Like she would have to see and hear it to believe it. She actually want to make sure that they were trying. Not to mention if they did magically find her real mom than would she even care that Elena was sick? Would she be wiling to give up a small piece if her to make sure the daughter she never wanted lived? She knew she would have to find out eventually, but Elena loved the image she had of her mother now. What if she didn't live up to her expectations? What if she had made nothing of herself? And what if she wanted to have a relationship afterwards? Would Elena be willing to forgive her for abandoning her if it meant she could have a real mother-daughter relationship? She probably would never know any of that?

Lastly before she planned out all of this she would have to ask her doctor. They would want Elena to start her treatment soon. She knew it was selfish on her part but she wasn't ready. She wasn't ready to be as sick as a dog with that poison she had only heard horror stories about. The medicine that was supposed to help you but sometimes didn't. She wasn't ready for that battle. She wanted to be selfish for a while. She knew it was wring, but it was her life and she wanted to enjoy whatever life she had left. If there was no real chance without the transplant then she didn;t want it.

But she was getting ahead of herself as she tapped her fingernails on her doctors desk waiting for her to show up so they could discuss it. And she would not leave here without a definite answer. Finally before she thought she couldn't take it any longer the doctor entered the room smiling at Elena as she took a seat.

"Good morning Elena how are you feeling?"

"As well as I can."

"I was hoping you would come in so we could discuss your treatment options."

"About that. I need to talk to you."

"Go ahead."

"I found a lead on my birth mother and I knew you said that she would be my best chance to survive this well I was wondering if it would be okay if I go to Chicago."

"How long would you be staying?"

"I'm not sure as long as it took to start a new lead."

"A new lead? So you're saying that you don't know exactly where she is?"

"Well no but-"

"Elena I can't risk your health like that on a hutch."

"What if it's not one then? What if you're slowly killing me for no good reason?"

"You know that just because you get the transplant doesn't mean that you'll get better. You could reject the treatment or she could not be a match in the first place. You're risking everything on this one person you hardly know. Not to mention that you would still need extensive chemo therapy and radiation after it's all over."

"And I can handle that. I just can't handle it if I never tried to make it better. I wouldn't expect you to understand that though."

"Elena I know this is a lot for you to take in, but I'm wondering if you really get the repercussions of your decision. I'm not trying to be the bad guy here. I just want you to understand that you're sick and you should remember that."

"You don't think I don't think about that? It's all I ever think about. That and my mother. It's all my life is now and I need something good to hold on to. If you don't get anything then at least try to get that I'm trying to live as normal of a life as possible before I might-"

Elena's throat clogged up as she chocked on her words. Nothing was wrong but she just couldn't get the words out but something told her that the doctor understood.

"Tell you what, I'm going to get in touch with a doctor up there in Chicago and we can see about transferring your treatment to there until you find out about your mom. Would you like that?"

Elena held back her tears of joy but smiled at her doctor for the first time since she met her.

"Thank you." she whispered barely able to speak.

"You do what you have to do Elena, but remember that you must put yourself first in this. It's okay to be selfish sometimes. Especially when it comes to your health."

Elena nodded smiling from ear to ear she couldn't believe it. This was actually happening. She was one step closer to finding her birth mom and when she did there was no stopping her from getting the answers she deserved. She just hoped that it all worked out in the end.


End file.
